We all know that yoga has been around much much longer than social media, but I didn’t always know (along with many others I’m sure) that yoga is not about physical hypermobility and amazing abs. It’s not about competition or performance. Yoga is a science that gives us the tools to work towards freedom and happiness for ourselves and for EVERY. ONE. Yoga is not exclusive to any body type, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, physical or mental capability, etc.

Yoga is a way of life. It’s an ancient practice from the Indus Valley cultures that informs how we move through the world from how we interact with others to how we honor our authentic selves. "Yoga" comes from the Sanskrit verb, "yuj," meaning to yoke or unite. Through yoga, we learn to unite our minds and bodies and spirits, to unite with our true selves, and to unite with others in the spirit of diversity and inclusion.

The study of yoga is not about learning proper alignment in poses. Yes, a safe movement practice keeps us limber and physically and emotionally healthy, but yoga philosophy offers so much more than just āsana (the physical practice). Ancient texts like The Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita offer guidance for how to change our lives in positive ways by evaluating our ethics, using breathwork, learning how to focus and be discerning about how and where we spend our energy, and more. The goal of yoga is to create personal and collective change for the better. If you’re starting a yoga practice this year, great!! I encourage you to take it further than an exercise class and see what kind of positive changes you can make for your mental health, your community, and even the world.

You or someone you know might be interested in starting a yoga practice, but you may not know where to start, or you might even think that yoga isn’t for you. YOGA. IS. FOR. EVERYONE. You don’t need to be flexible. There are no prerequisites. You don’t need to have any particular experience. To quote my amazing teacher, Susanna Barkataki, “All of that is the watering down and westernization of physical yoga.” Asana, or the physical yoga postures, is often the sole focus in western yoga. When we think of yoga in the United States, we often think about flexible, thin, white women working out, but I’ve heard some teachers refer to yoga as a “work-in”. One of the reasons that we practice these poses is so that we can get our bodies to a point where we can physically sit and meditate for as long as we like. Once we can find comfortable stillness, we can connect the body, breath, mind, and emotions to see ourselves for who we truly are, and that is the goal of yoga, not headstand. That said, postures are a part of most yoga practices, especially most yoga classes you’ll sign up for in the US or online. Sign up for my email list here, and I’ll walk you through what I think are the ten best yoga poses for beginners. Remember, they don’t have to look perfect. They just have to serve you, to make you feel good. You’ve got this.

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